Most parents unaware of quality childcare benefits - study

An overwhelming 71 per cent of parents were unaware of the benefits of quality childcare, according to new research carried out by the Employment and Training Corporation.

Also, 47 per cent lacked the necessary knowledge on the adequacy of childcare facilities, which has spurred the ETC to embark on a campaign to raise awareness on the benefits of quality childcare for children, parents, employers and society at large.

The first step in the campaign, partly financed by the EU's European Social Fund and the government, was to hold a national half-day conference on quality childcare.

Held on Friday at the San Gorg Corinthia, St Julians, the conference brought together numerous people in the sphere, including two foreign speakers, to discuss the way forward.

Sandra Azzopardi, ESF 50 project coordinator, referred to another training programme, ESF 24, where 130 persons have just qualified to work in childcare centres.

The course content focused on nutrition, health and hygiene, parental involvement, and play activities, and included 500 hours of placement in existing childcare centres.

During the conference, a number of participants raised their concern over the fact that, though they had followed childcare courses at the University, they were finding it difficult to have their qualifications recognised.

On this point, Grace Izzo, a senior trainer in childcare at the ETC, insisted on the importance for each course to include hands-on training, something she felt was not negotiable.

Discussing the importance of investing in quality childcare, Edward Melhuish, from Birkbeck, University of London, put a heavy accent on the alternative of extending parental leave, a move that could facilitate everyone's lives.

Delving into the rate of return to human capital, Prof. Melhuish referred to a study that showed that public expenditure was mostly directed towards post-school job training. However, the intensity of brain development was highest in the child's first years when spending on pre-school programmes was at its lowest.

"The return of investment is high on pre-school programmes and low on job training, but our traditional approach of public funding has been the opposite," he said. Prof. Melhuish also referred to studies, which showed that for children "who were not disadvantaged", high quality childcare had no strong effects on their cognitive and language development. However, poor quality childcare "may produce deficits in language development".

On the other hand, evidence indicated that when it came to disadvantaged children, low quality childcare produced neither benefits nor negative effects.

Research demonstrated that the following aspects of quality were most important for enhancing children's development:

• Well-trained staff committed to their work with children.

• Facilities that are safe, sanitary and accessible to parents.

• Ratios and group sizes that allow staff to interact appropriately and responsively with children.

• Staff development that ensures continuity, stability and improving quality.

• In-service training beyond formal education.

• Adequate wages so that staff are comfortable in their jobs.

• A developmentally-appropriate curriculum.

• Community partnerships with other agencies, such as health.

When Family Minister Dolores Cristina took the floor, she stressed the need for all to keep their feet firmly on the ground.

"By this I mean that if we take a look at Malta's history, we are looking at changes in society that have only started to take place only some 15 to 20 years ago," she said.

"As a result, we cannot compare Malta to countries that have a much longer history in the provision of childcare, as the benchmarks will naturally be different."

Ms Cristina said the important thing was to keep in mind that the whole idea behind offering childcare services was to offer families the choice.

"As a working mother, I myself have in the past felt the lack of supporting structures. I see this reflected in my own children who, like many young women nowadays, undoubtedly feel the dilemma of wishing to work for various reasons and contemporaneously acknowledging the importance of giving their children the best upbringing possible," she pointed out.

Ms Cristina also referred to the Smart Kids centre within the Access complex in Cottonera (hailed by the Council of Europe as a success story) and said the government was developing a similar centre in Birkirkara, together with the local council.

She praised the ETC on its highly effective campaign and said the 500 phone calls received on the recently set up freephone number (8007 4903) proved the public was genuinely interested in quality childcare.

"The government, therefore, needs to continue to respond to this interest in an effective manner. Now that we have found the ground to stand on we can only move forward."